Sounded Forth

This morning I read through the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, and I wanted to share what Paul says to these church at Thessalonica:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. 1:2-10)

Those are pretty nice words. Paul heaps a lot of praise on the Thessalonian believers. He comments on how their faith has become well-known, not just in the surrounding areas, but all over the world. And it made me ask, "How do people hear about our churches?"

That's a question that many ministers find need to address. How do people hear about our church? Church leaders spend a lot of time and energy on "getting our name out there." We'll erect slick and stylish church signs. We'll offer coffee and donuts, and not the cheap stuff, either. We'll be sure that our worship is on a podcast and that our website has social media features. We'll buy our youth minister the tightest v-neck and thick-rimmed glasses. We'll send mailings to every household within 10 miles.

The Thessalonians were well-known, but it wasn't because of their marketing strategies. It was because of their "work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope." It was because they imitated Christ. It was because they turned away from idols to the only true God.

I'm not at all against podcasts or cool buildings or any of that stuff. But we run into problems when we make those things our primary strategy for church growth as opposed to living lives of faith. The church gains attention when it acts like the church. Thessalonica's faith rang out in the world like sound from a giant megaphone, not because they were the biggest show in town, but because they followed Jesus faithfully.

I can't just apply this to our churches, though. When I read this passage, I'm forced to ask the same types of questions about my own life. How do people know I'm a Christian? Is it because I go to a seminary? Is it because I wear Christ In Youth t-shirts? Is it because I carry around books by N.T. Wright or have Phil Wickham on my iPod?

Or, is it because of my faith, hope, and love? Is it because I'm leaving behind the cheap gods of the world in order to pursue my Creator? Is it because when people see me, they see Jesus somehow? That's the type of Christian I want to be.

Especially since I look so bad in a v-neck.